10th : Aldershot Town hope to grasp chance
By Nathan Jackson
August 3 2008
Aldershot Town are set for their first ever season in the Football League. The club only formed 16 years ago and have had achieved five promotions in that time, not bad for a side that only had one player when the club came into existence. Can the club make the most of their first shot (no pun intended) at the Football League?
WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?
Like most Conference Champions, Aldershot Town are certainly confident heading into the League. Every Conference champion comes up and brags that dominated a League that is half-filled with tinpot clubs who rarely get anywhere near the 1,000 attendance mark. However, I think that Aldershot have the capability to live up to their optimism.
Let's face it, any side that wins a division by mid-April is a good side. You don't gain 101 points over 46 games if you're not a good side and the Shots certainly have that momentum that they need to progress. This is helped by a squad that is full of football League experience, including former City player, Junior Mendes.
Other players who have experienced League life are Rhys Day with Mansfield Town, Anthony Charles with Barnet (and he no longer has that stupid afro), Ben Starosta, Chris Blackburn with Swindon and I could go on for a while with this list. They certainly have a squad capable of holding their own, they should do better than the last few efforts of Conference Champions.
However, I'd be a little concerned that Gary Waddock has very little experience managing in the League and might find himself a little overwhelmed, that will probably be what keeps that club out of the Playoff spots.
Aldershot Town certainly have a good chance of being the best side to come up from the Conference since Yeovil Town but I get a feeling that this season will be one season to early to mount a promotion challenge. I think 10th would certainly be a highly respectable finish for a club that has never been in the League before.
[en.wikipedia.org].
Whilst their last game was away to Cardiff, their last home game was against Lincoln City, and we won 3-0!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:08:04:08:07:49 by PoshImp.